Hi friends!
Halloween is over, and Christmas decorations are already coming up everywhere. Some of us still have a pumpkin on the porch. 🎃 The stores have moved on regardless.
Ready or not, the holidays come with a booking calendar, and the first date is tomorrow.
Here’s what’s inside this issue:
✨ Festival of Lights tickets go on sale tomorrow. Book the right slot.
🏫 Kindergarten registration is open for children born in 2022.
🍿 Free movies on Saturday, Nov 14, with $3 popcorn.
Let's get into it. 👇🏼
📌 The Notice Board
🚧 W Broadway: Maple is closed at Broadway
Broadway between Arbutus and Cypress changed again yesterday.
📅 Since: Monday, Nov 2
🚗 Broadway: Traffic now runs on the north side between Arbutus and Cypress
⛔ Maple: Closed at Broadway in both directions for about three weeks, crosswalk included
🔁 Cypress: Open both ways again between W 8th and W 10th
⬇️ Arbutus: Still southbound only between Broadway and W 8th, with turn restrictions at Broadway
📍 Where: W Broadway at Maple St
The Move
Need to cross Broadway here? Use Cypress. It runs both ways again. Arbutus only goes south, and Maple is shut. On foot, cross at Arbutus or Cypress. Three weeks takes this past most of November.
🌙 W Broadway at Oak: overnight lane closures
Driving late this week? Expect flaggers by VGH.
📅 When: Nightly for about a week, starting Monday, Nov 2
⏰ Time: 8pm to 5am
🚦 What: Single-lane, alternating traffic on W Broadway between Oak and Laurel, on and off. Turns from Broadway onto Oak are restricted.
📍 Where: W Broadway between Oak and Laurel
The Move
After 8pm, cross Oak on 12th Avenue instead of Broadway. Night shift or late pickup, this is the one that catches you.
🛠️ Main St at E 8th: two lanes each way
Mount Pleasant's turn. A utility repair takes lanes off Main, starting today.
📅 When: Today, Tuesday, Nov 3, to Friday, Nov 13
⏰ Time: 7am to 7pm
🚗 What: Main St is down to two lanes each way between E Broadway and Kingsway while crews work on a manhole at E 8th
📍 Where: Main St at E 8th Ave
The Move
Driving Main in the daytime? Leave extra time, or take Fraser instead. Shops and homes along Main stay open.
⏰ This Week's Sign-Ups
Three sign-ups, three days in a row. Set the alarms now.
✨ Wednesday: Festival of Lights tickets
Tickets for VanDusen's Festival of Lights go on sale tomorrow, Wednesday, Nov 4. You book a set entry time in advance.
📅 Festival: Nov 27 to Jan 3, closed Christmas Day
⏰ Hours: 4 to 10pm, last entry 9pm
💵 Cost: $29 adults, $19 youth (13 to 18), $12 children (5 to 12). Children 4 and under are free but still need a ticket. Prices are before GST and fees.
The Move
Book an entry at 6pm or later. Sunset is around 5:15 during the festival, so earlier slots start in daylight. Two adults and two children 5 to 12 come to $82 before tax and fees. The sensory-friendly evening is Tuesday, Dec 1.
⛸️ Thursday: Skating lessons, Set 2
Registration for fall Set 2 skating lessons opens Thursday, Nov 5 at 7pm, online, in person and by phone. Classes start between Nov 7 and Nov 12 and run to mid-December.
The Move
Log in before Thursday. Add your children to your account and build a wish list, so at 7pm you're only checking out. Helmet rule: CSA hockey or snowboard helmet. Bike helmets aren't allowed.
🏕️ Friday: Winter daycamp at Our House
Mount Pleasant Community Centre's Our House Winter Daycamp opens registration Friday, Nov 6 at 10am. Four days of camp, Dec 21 to 24, for $63.
📅 When: Monday to Thursday, Dec 21 to 24
⏰ Time: 9am to 4pm, closing at 3pm on Dec 24. Early care from 8am, late care until 6pm.
🧒 Ages: Born 2014 to 2021, kindergarten to Grade 7. Five-year-olds must be in kindergarten or done with it.
💵 Cost: $50 plus $13 for field trips. Early and late care cost extra.
📍 Where: Our House, 123 W 16th Ave at Manitoba. Not the main centre on Kingsway.
The Move
Be on vanrec.ca at 9:55 on Friday. Plans change? Withdraw by Thursday, Nov 26 at 9pm and you get your money back, minus a $20 fee.
🏫 Kindergarten registration is open
If your child was born in 2022, this one's yours. Vancouver School Board registration for September 2027 kindergarten opened Sunday and runs to Sunday, Jan 31.
"Priority" sounds like a promise. It isn't. If a school runs out of room, siblings go first. Everyone else goes into a random draw.
🧒 Who: Children born in 2022
📅 Window: Nov 1, 2026 to Jan 31, 2027
📝 How: Apply online, then book an appointment to show original documents at your catchment school
📄 Bring: Proof of B.C. residency, your child's original birth certificate, immunization records if you have them, and citizenship or immigration papers if they apply
📍 Where: Your English catchment school. Find yours here.
The Move
Book the document appointment before the holidays. Paperwork has to be in by Jan 31 to count for the draw. Late applications go to the bottom of the waitlist. Eyeing French Immersion or another choice program? You still register at your catchment school first. Choice applications run early January to early February.
Registering keeps your catchment spot in play while you weigh everything else.
Know a family with a child born in 2022? Forward this their way. January has a habit of sneaking up.
🎨 Emily Carr's last weekend at the Art Gallery
That Green Ideal closes Sunday, Nov 8. It's the Gallery's biggest Emily Carr show in more than 20 years, with over 100 works. You have two good ways in.
Friday: Free First Friday, 4 to 8pm on Friday, Nov 6. Free for everyone. Reserve ahead to guarantee entry. Walk-ins get in only if there's room, and bookings are capped at two tickets per group.
Sunday: The Making Place, drop-in art for all ages, 11am to 4pm, included with admission. At 2pm there's a Family Tour of the Carr show for ages 5 to 12. Sign up that day in Room 4East.
💵 Cost: Children and youth 18 and under are always free. B.C. adults pay $29, except Friday night.
📍 Where: Vancouver Art Gallery, 750 Hornby St, a block from City Centre station
The Move
Children are free either day, so this is really about the grown-ups. Bringing someone aged 5 to 12? Go Sunday. The tour is worth the $29. Otherwise, take the free Friday.
🍿 Free movies on Saturday, Nov 14
A free movie at 9am, popcorn for $3, and you're home before lunch. Cineplex's Community Day is back for its 14th year.
📅 When: Saturday, Nov 14
⏰ Time: Screenings from 9 to 11am
🎬 Films: The LEGO Movie, Paddington 2, A Minecraft Movie and Tom & Jerry
💵 Cost: Free tickets. Regular popcorn, regular drinks and select candy are $3 each, plus tax, until 11am.
🕹️ Bonus: Free one-hour game bands from 9 to 11am at The Rec Room and Playdium
📍 Where: Participating Cineplex theatres
The Move
Tickets are first come, first served, and only at the theatre. Check showtimes for your theatre online, then arrive early. All day, $1 from every concession purchase goes to BGC Canada.
🎄 The Christmas Market opens Monday, Nov 16
Speaking of decorations everywhere. The Vancouver Christmas Market is back at Jack Poole Plaza through Christmas Eve. There's a carousel, a Wishing Forest and more than 90 wooden huts of food and gifts.
📅 When: Nov 16 to Dec 24
⏰ Time: Until Dec 3, weekdays 4 to 9:30pm and weekends 11:30am to 9:30pm
💵 Cost: Day tickets from $7.99, with a 30-minute arrival window. Stay as long as you like. Children 6 and under are free, no ticket needed.
📍 Where: Jack Poole Plaza, 1055 Canada Place, a short walk from Waterfront station
The Move
Book ahead. Prices go up on the day. With younger children, go on a weekend. It opens at 11:30am, and you're home by dinner. Heads up: Krampus is on display Nov 20 and 21. Plan around it if yours spook easily.
P.S. Know a parent who's up at 6 on Saturdays no matter what? There's a free 9am movie on the 14th with their name on it. Forward this their way.
That’s a wrap for this week.
We’ve got this!
Saba Yazdani
The Cambie Memo
